Safety device for vehicles



March 21,1939. F. L. cURTlss 2,151,014

SAFETY DEVICE FOR VEHIICLES Filed April 4, 1938 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 March 21, 1939. F. 1 CURTISS' SAFETY DEVICE FOR VEHICLES 2 'sheets-sheet 2 Filed April 4, 1938 7cm/f o2. LNVENTOR.

ATTORNEY.

Patented Mu. 21, i939 SAFETY DEVICE FOR VEHICLES FrankLCnrtiLodLOhiop. ApplioationApl-ll 4, 1938, Serial No. 199,872'

My invention relates to improvements in safety device for vehicles and it more lespecially includes'the features pointed out in the annexed claims. l

The .purpose ofmy invention is to provide easily applied safe guards against trailers, trucks etc., etc., from backing down hill in case a stop is made necessary; that also provides an easy removal of the safe guard when the vehicle is again starting; that in addition makes provision for the negotiating-of a hill in icy weather by alternately zigy z'agging from side to side of the roadway..

With these and other ends in view I illustrate in the accompanying drawings such instances of adaptation as will disclose the broad features of the invention without limiting myself to the speciflc detalls shown thereonand described herein.

Fig. l is a longitudinal sectional view showing the application of the safe wheel.

Fig. 2 is a top planview of the rear'portion of guard to the rear of a Fig. 3 isa rear elevation of Fig.- :1.1

Fig. 4 is a partial perspective showing the safe guard detached from the vehiclechassis. l

. Fig. 5 is an enlarged detail side elevation of a safety shoe and anauxiliarychock block and in dotted lines the relation of the shoe to the wheel without the use ofthe block.

' Fig. 6, Sheet 2', is anenlarged modification of 'the rear end of Fis. 1.' A f l Fig.j7.is an enlarged side elevation ofone of the automatic catches shown'in Fig. 6.

Fig. 8 is an elevation of Fig. 7 lookingrearward.

Fig.' 9 is allmodiiled form'of radial connection to the axle.

` Fig. 101s an elevationof a inodied connection -v from a radial arm l the cross member on which` Y the shoes Vare supported.

In using my invention I may employ whatever alternatives or equivalents of-structure that the exigencies of varying conditions may demand without departing from the broad spirit 'of the in vention. v

Any form of motor tractor I0 maybe connected to the forward end II, by means .of a pin I2 to a trailer or other fr am'e I3.

The'frame or chassis I3 is supplied with the conventional rubber tired wheels I 4, whichin the caseof a trailerI are attached rigidly toa. cross axle II. The chassis II may be supported on the axle bysprings I.

The safety feature of my invention resides in theuse of a pair of shoes I1. 'I'h with a relatively portion Il 'and a curved 'up--y forming angular ese are formed standing portion Il that, will abut the-tire.. On the underside ofthe plate portion II severalw antislipping calks 2l may be formed. Provision is also made to guard against further slipping byA projections 2| on the under side 5 of the plates.

T'he length of therelatlvely flat portion I8 of the 'shoes I1 may be such that the front edge of the plates would extend forward of the center of the wheels ,soy that each wheel will rest ongits l0l corresponding plate regardless of the use of the. chock blocks 2 1 thus entirely -freeing the wheel from the' ground.

'I'he shoes I1 have an enlargement in which the cross rod 22 is secured. 'I'his rod is held in ad- II justable relationto the axle I5 by enlarged portions 23 of the radial arms 24 which engage the axle. Pins 25 are a part of'therod 22. They coact with notch formed'in the enlargement 23. 'Ihis notch has afront edge stop 'a rear edge shoulder 26". The pin and cooperating shoulders 26 and 26'l serve-to direct the. front end of the shoes I1 forward toward the under-k side of the wheel I4 as the shoes are lowered instead of simplyhaving the shoes' move downg5 ward with the ilat portions I8 standing vertical as the pavement is approached. Y

To make provision for the movement of a vehicle up ahill on an icy pavement I may use the extra chock blocks 21. These are supplied'with 30 `rearwardly positioned hooks 2l that form apart of the bottom Plate 23. plate at itsfront end has an abutting ange 22b which engages the 'a front end of the flat portion I8 of the shoes I1. The hooks 28 serve toholdthe chock blocks 21 35 inplace by entering the 'slots 28'. y

i Theradial arms. 'are forked fat 3l to pass over the axle I S. AV stop vpinflljoin's the ends o'f the fork.V Theslotof the fork ends at 32. En-

largements -onthefaxle, ortheir equivalents 40 'Y serve to' holdtheradial wise `on the'axle.

There isfa` transverse rock shaft I4.' It has a bearing ntwo -plates 38 that are secured t0 the chassis I 3, v This shaft has depending hooks 36, 4.5

2l from moving end-v one at each `end.. The plates have downward projections 31 which cooperate with the hooks 36 in positioning the supporting barl 22 in its raised position. 'I'he rock shaft, 34 is actuated by a rock arm that issecured to the shaft. A ylink 38 50 may lead from'this arm to any desired position,

forward, adjacent thedrivers seat. -A spring 40 acts against the link 29 and'serves to hold the' hooks 38 inaclosed position. Q 'y -'l'heshoe supportingbarn has a loop 4I at u shoulder 26 and 20 aracktbatisattachedtoapistonrodll.

DlDeIlleads rotatethedrumusoastowindupthecableand raisetherodntomovepastandbeheldbythe 30. To make additional provision against the Ilrollingbackwardtwochainsllmaybe restdiagonallyagainstthe wheels. The endofeachchainisfastenedtoashoe dtheupperendlssecuredtothechassisll. In order to provide a limit to the movement of the hooks they have a projection I2 which 'Iliese'hookshavea beveled or inclined end that cooperates with the inclined face Il of the projection Il. A cord Il the link Il.

Thepairofradia1arms24,Pig.4maybemodiiled, as shown in Fig. 9. In this instance two forked arms which support the bar 22 are joined into one radial arm 51. This arm serves is to roll forward oil.' from this inclination in contrast to that of the hill on which the vehicle is stopping.

Should it be found desirable and necessary to do zig-zagging or in the vernacular of the highways to resort to "Jack-kniilng to move the vehicle at an angle across the road instead of going straight forward up the hill to make it easier to start the load the following procedure may be followed. After the wheel on one side has rolled oi! from its shoe the auxiliary chock block 21 is placed on the plate I2 on the same side of the vehicle to provide a fulcrum against which the wheel will be held as a pivot aroimd which the vehicle will swing in another direction. This will start the load and the vehicle may proceed up the hill with the plates sliding on the pavement. Onreachingthetopofthehllltheauxiliary blocks are removed for use at another time and the plates are raised to their upper position by the drum M, operated in any desired manner,

electrically. pneumatically or manually.

piston Il to which the It is of course understood that if desired I may incorporate automatic means (not` shown) for droppin the plates instantly on a rearward movement of the vehicle. only while the chassis is inclined.

'lhere is a close cooperation between the cable I2 and the link II with its cord 65 so that on the operation of the link 30 to drop the shoes the air inthecylinderisreleasedatthesametimeso that the cable 42 is free. In the raising of the plates the air in the cylinderneed onlybe applied during the actual raising of the plates torotate the winding drum-M. A directconnected motor (not shown) maybe connected to the drum or itsV pinion or otherwise to operate the cable. In any event, as stated above the cable must be free at the same time that the hooks 36 release the sh supporting rod 22.

What I claim is:

l. In vehicle safety devices, a chassis, wheels beneath the chassis, inclined plates adapted to beplacedtotherearof awheeLasupporiingbar for the plates, radial arms connecting the bar to the axle of the wheels for to and fro movement thereon, a rock shaft pivoted in the chassis, beveled hooks secured to the shaft, a cable for raising the bar, a spring for holding the hooksin a closed position, and cooperating means depending from the chassis for guiding the bar into position above the hooks.

2. In safety devices for wheeled vehicles, a chassis, supporting wheels thereunder, a cross bar, a rigidly secured shoe near each end of the bar, means comprising automatic under hooked catches on the chassis for holding the bar for instant release, means for letting the front end of the shoes move forward as the banapproaches the roadway, and means for again raising the bar to its inactive position onto the automatic catch.

3. In safety devices for vehicles, a chassis, supporting wheels thereunder, placeable and removable shoes adapted to engage the roadway at the rear of the wheels, and wheelrengaging chains adapted to engage diagonally against the wheels, one end of the chains being secured to the shoes and the other end to the chassis.

4. In safety devices for vehicles, a chassis,V

wheels beneath the chassis, inclined plates or shoes adapted to be lowered to the rear of the wheels, a supporting bar in common for the plates or shoes, radial means slidably adjacent the wheel axle forming bearingsv at one end thereof for the bar, means on the chassis for raising the bar into an inactive position, and means on the bar comprising projections and clearance recesses in the'bearings permitting the projections to alternately engage the opposite faces of the recesses to permit the bearings to have limited movement on the bar independently of the bar so as to move the front end of the shoes on an arc similar to the curvature of the wheel.

FRANK L. CURTISS. 

